Tales from the Hindu Dramatists eBook

She now prepares to leave her husband after she has
seen her boy installed as associate king. So
preparations are made for the inauguration ceremony
when Narada the messenger of Indra, comes to announce
that the god has compassionately revoked the decree.
The nymph is thus permitted to remain on earth for
good as the hero’s second wife.

Nymphs descend from heaven with a golden vase containing
the water of the heavenly Ganges, a throne, and other
paraphernalia, which they arrange. The prince
is inaugurated as Yuvaraj. All now go together
to pay their homage to the queen, who had so generously
resigned her rights in favour of Urvasi.

MALAVIKAGNIMITRA,

OR

AgnimitraandMalavika.

We learn a wise sentiment from the prologue.
The stage-manager, addressing the audience, says:—­“All
that is old is not, on that account, worthy of praise,
nor is a novelty, by reason of its newness, to be
censured. The wise do not decide what is good
or bad till they have tested merit for themselves:
a foolish man trusts to another’s judgement.”

Puspamitra was the founder of the Sunga dynasty of
Magadha kings, having been the general of Vrihadratha,
the last of the Maurya race, whom he deposed and put
to death: he was succeeded by his son Agnimitra
who reigned at Vidica (Bhilsa) in the second century
B.C. King Agnimitra has two queens Dharini and
Iravati. Malavika belongs to the train of his
queen Dharini’s attendants. The maid was
sent as a present to the queen by her brother, Virsena,
governor of the Antapala or barrier-fortress on the
Nermada.

The queen jealously keeps her out of the king’s
sight on account of her great beauty. The king,
however, accidentally sees the picture of Malavika,
painted by order of the queen for her chitrasala,
or picture-gallery. The sight of the picture
inspires the king with an ardent desire to view the
original, whom he has never yet beheld.

Hostilities are about to break out between Agnimitra
and Yajnasena, king of Viderbha (Berar). The
first, on one occasion, had detained captive the brother-in-law
of the latter, and Yajnasena had retaliated by throwing
into captivity Madhavasena, the personal friend of
Agnimitra, when about to repair to Vidisa to visit
that monarch. Yajnasena sends to propose an exchange
of prisoners, but Agnimitra haughtily rejects the
stipulation, and sends orders to his brother-in-law,
Virasena, to lead an army immediately against the
Raja of Viderbha. This affair being disposed
of, he directs his attention to domestic interests,
and employs his Vidushaka or confidant, Gotama, to
procure him the sight of Malavika. To effect
this, Gotama instigates a quarrel between the professors,
Ganadas and Haradatta, regarding their respective
pre-eminence.

They appeal to the Raja, who, in consideration of
Ganadasa’s being patronised by the queen, refers
the dispute to her. She is induced to consent
reluctantly to preside at a trial of skill between
the parties, as shown in the respective proficiency
of their select scholars. The queen is assisted
by a protege, a Parivrajaka, or female ascetic
and woman of superior learning.